Along For The Ride
by LeFay Strent
Summary: AU - This is the story of Edward Elric: car salesman. - "Oh, that's good to know that auto-theft isn't a habit then… AH!" Ed cried out as a bullet actually grazed his cheek. "Okay, I change my mind. Let me out of here!" "Too late. You're already involved," the thief said simply.


**This story will be set in a more modern version of Amestris. Amestris still has a military based government, but no State Alchemists as alchemy does not exist.**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

(-Ed-)

Edward Elric had always been an aspiring man. Ever since he turned five years old he began to have big dreams for his future. At the time of course, his young mind pictured he'd be fighting off monsters with magic and saving the world like the heroes in the books his mother would read to him and his brother at bed time. Over the years his dreams became more practical. Although he loathed his father for walking out on him and his family when he was a little kid, he had to admit the man was a brilliant chemist. Both he and his younger brother delved into the left behind science books and notes their father had collected and soon Ed found his new goal in life: to surpass his father. So, imagine his frustration when he was forced to make end's meat as a car salesman.

"I'm telling you Al," Ed's voice rose as he nearly shouted into the phone he held in a death grip. "The guy _sparkled_!"

Edward could swear his little brother was rolling his eyes on the other end of the phone, "Brother, seeing as how it's physically impossible for a person to sparkle, I think you were just imagining it…or watching Twilight too many times."

He scrunched his nose at just the mere mention of watching that awful movie and didn't even deem it important enough to comment on. Instead, he replied angrily, "I wasn't just imagining it! Nor am I crazy. I know what I saw!"

"Suuure, whatever you say," Al droned sarcastically.

Ed gave up on trying to convince him, instead choosing to grumble moodily to himself. He knew he wasn't imagining things. When he had sold that Dodge Ram to Mr. Armstrong, the man had sparkled with happiness…_literally_.

"At least your job lets you meet interesting people," Al consoled him.

"You say that like it's a good thing," Ed groaned, letting his forehead thump against the wall.

"Edward! Get off the phone and get back to work!" the dealership's mechanic, Winry, yelled at him as she walked by the room. She didn't hover by the door, choosing to go back to her own work of tinkering with engines. But she would be back in minutes if he didn't come out of the safety of the small office in the back of the dealership building.

He sighed, "Gotta go, little bro. The slave driver's calling me. I'll see you this afternoon."

"Good luck, and don't forget to go get your eyes checked!" Before Ed could retort, the line went dead.

Grumbling furiously to himself, Edward hung up the phone (with more force than necessary). He really didn't want to deal with anymore customers, especially if they sparkled.

Edward had been working here since he was nineteen, nearly a year ago (a feat in itself). He loathed this job but it was desperately needed. Ever since his mom passed away, things had been rough on him and Al. The only reason they hadn't been sent to an orphanage or turned out on the streets was because of Winry and her grandmother. The two women had been friends of the family all of his life, were practically family, and had immediately taken them in. But Ed knew they couldn't mooch off of the Rockbells forever. So when he turned fifteen he began working as much as possible, saving up enough until at eighteen he could find an apartment for he and his little brother. Along with supporting both of them, things became more difficult when Ed began paying for online college courses. It was expensive but allowed him to keep working. Al had a part-time job to help out as much as he could but he was still in his junior year of high school. No matter how much Ed hated Al working, he couldn't deny that the money was sorely needed. But he still tried as much as he could to nurse the meager savings he'd put aside for Al's college fund.

Nowadays, Ed worked at the Rockbell's dealership because no other place would hire him. His short temper had been the cause of many firings around Central City. With such a socially interactive job as this, his temper flared frequently…but Winry's wrench usually solved that problem quickly. The woman had an arm any major league pitcher would envy.

The twenty-year-old sighed as he walked out of the office to meet his doom-er, next potential customer. Tightening his ponytail, he had a feeling today would be a long one.

As he passed the break room, his attention was caught by the small, ancient television hung up in the corner, playing the mid-day news. A press conference was being held by Fuhrer Bradley, an occasional thing due to the various wars Amestris' military constantly waged. So Edward wouldn't have thought much of it, however, the man's tone held a deep graveness as his single eye stared out into the gathering of reporters without an inkling of his usual cheerfulness. It struck Ed as odd, encouraging him to pause and tune into the broadcast.

"…no casualties, as the buildings were empty at the time. Despite this, they have gone too far and I will not abide by this. Mark my words, we will catch the perpetrators and they will be brought to justice."

Puzzled, Edward continued to watch as the screen switched to a different scene. Two of the military operated laboratories near the Central Command Center had been burned to the ground, and neither of them had been accidents. The investigations division suspected the rebel faction that had been terrorizing Amestris to be the arsonists responsible. Ed didn't really know much about them, only that the rebels were traitors to the State and they really liked being a thorn in the military's side. This news concerned Edward though. Usually the rebels targeted other cities, never Central, as it was the focal point of the Amestrian military forces. So what were they doing here all of a sudden? Were they finally making their big move?

Edward shook his head. He didn't hold much love for his country's military. All they ever did was go to war. But he didn't exactly side with the rebel's destructive measures either. Both of them were equally bad news and now they were decking it out in his city? He didn't like the sound of it.

"EDWARD!"

"Alright, alright! I'm coming! Sheesh," Ed called back to Winry. He turned his back to the TV and left the room.

Yes, a long day indeed.

* * *

(-Ed-)

Later that day, Edward was hiding from Winry. All he wanted was to take a little nap, but the mechanic would pitch a wrench fit if she found him shirking off his work. He was unconcerned by it. Let one of the other salesmen take care of things. Sue him, it was 2:30 and it was a slow day.

Ed wandered the lot until he found it. "It" happened to be a Shelby GT Mustang with a shiny cherry red coat of paint, the color interrupted only by black stripes running from front to back over the hood. It was a magnificent piece of work that Ed greatly admired and definitely yearned to call his own. It had been sitting in the lot for the past month, surprisingly unsold. It may have been due to a few glares on Edward's part at people who looked at it and even thought about buying it, but he was nonetheless pleased it was here for the time being. The car's interior was as sleek as the outside with the most comfortable leather seats graced upon any car. Trust him, he'd napped on them plenty of times to know. Edward sunk into those very seats with a happy moan, curling up in the backseat and drifting off to dreamland within seconds.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed. All he knew was that the noise of a car door opening disrupted his dozing and he was not happy about it. At first he thought it was Winry who had found his hiding spot…but why didn't she say anything? Why was she shuffling around in the driver's seat?

Perplexed, Edward sat up in the backseat to peer into the front with sleepy eyes. The door that he had heard open was now closed again, except now an unfamiliar man sat in the driver's seat. And, if Ed wasn't mistaken (which never happened), the man was attempting to hotwire the car.

Rather than be afraid, Ed was just thoroughly annoyed. How dare this guy try to steal his favorite car?!

"Hey," Ed called coldly to the soon-to-be-pummeled-carjacker. The stranger stiffened and turned to face Edward's glare with an expression of shock. Ed had a moment to scan him over. Maybe six years his senior, pale skin, broad shoulders, raven hair with bangs that swept over sharp dark eyes, dressed casually yet tastefully in a deep blue button up shirt with black trench coat over it… His first impression was that this guy looked nothing like a carjacker. Obviously, first impressions could be horribly wrong.

"…You're not supposed to be in here," the man finally uttered in a low tone, voice smooth and holding almost a prideful quality.

Edward nearly snorted. "That's my line, buddy."

Now it was Ed's turn to be surprised when the man regained his focus and disregarded him, "Beat it kid, if you know what's good for you."

Edward ground his teeth and snarled, "You've got a lot of nerve to tell me that! And I'm not a kid! I work here, I'll have you know."

The stranger paused in his work to give Edward a once-over, "Funny, you look awfully shrimpy to be grown."

That pissed Edward off into a short rant, "Who are you calling so small an ant would crush him?!"

To his shock and fury, the man laughed, "Shrimpy _and_ sensitive."

"Do you _want_ me to murder you?!"

"Sorry, but dying isn't on my to-do list," he smirked, flicking wires together in an attempt to get the car started.

"Well too bad, you bastard! You've not only pissed me off but you're trying to steal my favorite car. I'm gonna-"

"Damn, they've spotted me," the raven haired man commented to himself as he glanced out the window behind them. Ed didn't look to see what suddenly made the man uneasy. He was just concerned that he wasn't being taken seriously.

"Hey, are you even listening to me?!" Ed yelled, fist tightened in front of himself and ready to pound the man's face in.

"Trying hard not to…there we go!" he exclaimed as the engine spurred to life.

"Don't you da-" but his warning was interrupted by the car's abrupt lurch forward as the thief gunned it. Ed was tossed back and forth in the backseat as the car swerved and turned out of the lot with a screech. Even when they were on the highway and Ed had relatively caught his breath, he had no time to yell at the crazed carjacker. A rain of bullets kind of made that hard.

"What the hell is going on?!" Ed shouted in panic. He ducked down until he was practically in the floor of the car as the mustang was shot upon. Thanks to the heavy duty glass installed, the windows held up pretty well. However, many bullets pierced the surface, some nearly grazing the two men inside.

"We're being chased," the thief told him gruffly.

"There's no 'we'. _You _are the one who's being chased." When a lull in the shooting came, Ed took a quick peak over the backseat to see a black car barreling down the road after the mustang. As a gun appeared out of one of the windows and pointed straight at him, Ed ducked back down to avoid the next hail of bullets. "Just what did you do to them? Did you steal their car too?"

Ed caught sight of a smile in the rearview mirror as the man replied, "No, nothing like that."

"Oh, that's good to know that auto-theft isn't a habit then… _AH!_" Ed cried out as a bullet actually grazed his cheek, causing a thin line of blood to seep out. "Okay, I change my mind. Let me out of here!"

"Too late. You're already involved," the thief said simply and with a bit of reluctance as if he wished it weren't so.

"I don't care!" he barked stubbornly. "If you don't let me out then you're adding kidnapping to your crime list."

The man smirked, "What, this too much for you? And here I would have thought you were the adventurous type, what with that spitfire attitude of yours."

"Sure, I like an adventure now and then, but _not one that'll get me shot!_"

"Stay down and relax and you won't get shot," he replied as if that solved everything.

"That'll only save me from the crazed gunmen though. Nothing will save me from when you crash the car!"

"Do you have so little faith in me?"

"Seeing as how we just met, and over you stealing a car, I'm inclined to say yes. Now slow down before you get us killed!"

The man sighed, "If I slow down then the 'crazed gunmen' will get us. Just sit back and let me get us out of here and maybe I'll treat you to dinner." The last was said with a devilish wink.

The blonde could only gape at him, blinking rapidly and, for once, completely at a loss for words.

"Hold on," the man grunted, as if Ed hadn't already been doing that. Their speed accelerated as the mustang's engine was pushed to its full capacity.

With an unmanly squeak Ed would deny later, he clutched onto the passenger seat with all his might and prayed that this ride from Hell would end soon.

A minute later, the stranger cursed and slammed on the brakes hard enough to make Ed's stomach lurch. Instead of stopping all the way, the car cut to the right while the man spun the wheel to the right in desperation to miss whatever they were about to hit. With a stomp on the gas pedal, the car shot off in the new direction with a squeal of burning rubber.

As they sped away Edward moaned, fearing he would be sick, "Could have given me a bit of warning there."

The dark haired man threw a smile over his shoulder, "Sorry, I was too preoccupied with keeping us from hitting an eighteen-wheeler."

Golden eyes stared incredulously at the older male, "Are you…don't tell me you're actually _enjoying_ this."

Amusement leaked into the man's voice, "Usually I wouldn't, but with such entertaining company it's hard not to."

"Usually?" Ed didn't like the use of that word. It meant that, whoever this man was, he had been through similar circumstances.

The other hummed in affirmation, making Ed groan and slump forward. From all the twists and turns he now sat crouched in the floorboard, leaning in between the two front seats.

"Hey, you alright down there?" the stranger asked, sending him worried glances. From the tone of his voice Ed thought he was actually concerned.

"Yeah, it's just not everyday I get in a high speed chase with a bunch of gun waving lunatics." As he was questioning just what the hell he had gotten himself into, he noticed that the shooting had ceased. His head snapped up, "Did we lose them?"

"Yes. With the mess I left back there it was more than enough to deter them." From the small grin on his face Ed could guess that the 'mess' involved a lot of damage and crashed cars. He wondered if anyone had gotten hurt. Then he realized the man was talking and tuned back in to the present. "…somewhere we can lay low for awhile. Know of any good restaurants around here?"

Edward tensed, "Wait, you're not seriously thinking that I'm gonna stick around with a thief, are you? One who's got trigger-happy lunatics chasing after him, I might add. No thank you. Now if you would be so kind as to pull over so I can get the hell out of here that would be much appreciated."

For the first time since this crazy ride started, the stranger turned completely serious, "Use your head, Edward. If you just up and leave that's not gonna stop them from coming after you. I told you, you're already involved. They've seen you with me. You've become a target."

"I didn't ask to be a target!" Ed growled. "It's your fault that all of this- Wait, I never told you my name…" And, for the first time, Edward looked at the man with something akin to fear.

He gave a derisive snort, "You didn't have to. I can read just fine."

Ed frowned for a moment before he realized what he was talking about. He glanced down at his shirt to find the pin displaying his name that he always wore while working. Within a second Edward snatched the traitorous pin off his black polo and stuffed it in his pocket. "…I knew that," he muttered in a last attempt to save his dignity.

"Sure you did," the man smirked knowingly.

Flustered, Edward tried to take control of the conversation, "Well what's your name then? You know mine, it's only fair you tell me yours."

The man pondered this briefly, giving the younger one furtive glances, "…Mustang."

Ed scowled, looking back and forth between 'Mustang' and the car itself. It wasn't hard to figure out where he came up with the name. "Uh huh. And I'm guessing your first name is Shelby?"

"Of course not," Mustang replied, shifting in his seat uncomfortably.

Edward smiled at his discomfort as he slid out of the floor of the car and up into the backseats once more. His gaze wandered from the dark haired man to the part of the city they were passing through. In their chase, they had covered many miles; they were on the other side of the city. What surprised Ed even more was that no cops had pursued them. In all that chaos he hadn't heard one siren. He couldn't decide whether that was a good thing or a bad thing because, even though they could help, Mustang would probably just try to lose them in a chase. Mr. Law Abiding Citizen, he was not. Plus, Ed didn't feel up to anymore chases. One was enough for his entire life.

Now, as they were passing through a shopping district at a normal speed, he noticed how late it had gotten. That nap had lasted longer than he'd intended. He actually wished Winry would have come to find him earlier. It would have spared him a lot of misery. She was probably looking for him now as it was, seeing as how one of the employees went missing right after one of the vehicles were stolen. With the sun setting, Al must have called up there by now asking why his brother had not come home.

"This should be far enough," Mustang declared, parking the car in a shaded part of a closed furniture store. As soon as they came to a stop Ed jumped out of the car. He would have kept on walking if he hadn't caught sight of the car.

Ed's jaw dropped, "It's…_ruined!_" The shiny coat of paint was scratched and sporting numerous holes from bullets, as were the windows. It was a pretty gruesome sight to behold.

"And very conspicuous, which is why we're leaving it here," Mustang nodded, appearing at his side.

Edward spun on his heel to be face-to-face with the man…well, it was more face-to-chest really. Damn, he must have come from a tribe of giants or something. Unperturbed by Mustang's stature, Ed growled, "There's no _we_! I don't know who you are or what you're involved in but I want no part of it! You trashed my favorite car, kidnapped me, and almost got me _killed_! I've had it. I'm out of here."

Edward turned to leave, ready to march away and mentally patting himself on the back that he restrained himself and didn't clobber the bastard then and there. However, he was intercepted by Mustang swiftly blocking his escape.

"I wouldn't advise that," the older man warned. He was trying to intimidate Edward, but it would take more than that for the blonde to be scared into submission.

"Move, 'Mustang'. I don't want any part in whatever the hell this is."

The last of the sun's rays disappeared, leaving the two bathed in nothing more than a few stray street lights. The minimal lighting lit Mustang's skin in a pale glow and brought a shimmer to his dark eyes, "I've told you already, you leave now and there will be nothing standing in the way of them coming after you."

"Like they even know who I am. Why would they come after _me_ if they're after _you_?"

"It's possible they don't know who you are but they will. They'll dig up everything about you and come for you just because they saw you with me. And trust me Edward, they'll kill you. I'd rather not have your blood on my hands."

"What do you care anyway?! Why should I trust you?! You don't know me!" he argued, desperate to get out of here and home where things made sense. The adrenaline that had been pumping through his veins from all the excitement was nearly gone, leaving Ed shaky. What Mustang was saying…he didn't want to believe it. He knew the denial was setting in and he wanted to welcome it with open arms. He wanted to forget the last thirty minutes had just happened. And he wanted his life _not_ to be at stake here!

"I may not know you but I don't make it a habit of getting people killed. Not if I can help it." Mustang sighed tiredly, holding out his arms beseechingly, "Look, I am sorry for getting you involved in my problems. It wasn't supposed to happen like that. Regardless, what's done is done. I wasn't exaggerating when I said they'd kill you. If you stay with me I can keep you safe."

Ed was taken aback at his change of mood. He seemed almost…kind now.

"Besides," Mustang smirked, "I'd hate to see a kid like you get killed because of me."

He scowled, "I'm not a kid."

"You're short enough to be one."

He took it back. The guy was a complete bastard!

Edward lunged for him, fist raised to strike that damnable smirk off his face. Maybe it was the anger, or maybe it was the shaken nerves. Whatever it was, his reflexes were not at their best. He was thrown for a loop when his prey disappeared and he was suddenly hauled into the air.

"Hey! Put me down!"

"And let you hit my handsome face? I think not."

"Damn you!" Edward struggled from where Mustang had slung him over his shoulder. The bastard was now strolling down the sidewalk as if he didn't have human luggage riding on him. Ed tried to hit his back but Mustang jostled him roughly.

"Behave and just enjoy the ride," the aggravating man said. "Now, about that restaurant…"

* * *

**This is more action packed than I expected. When I came up with the idea, I was just joking with myself how people could write a story about anything these days like...and I searched my brain for the most random thing and came to 'Ed as a car salesman'. At first I just found it hilarious...but then the story began playing out in my head, and Roy stole the car and Ed was pulled into this crazy gun chase and it just wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote the first chapter. So here it is! But I must be honest and say that there won't be any updates on this for a while. I'm still in the process of planning for this story and I'm focusing on my larger story at the moment. But I'd like to hear some feedback. Do you think this story has potential?**

**Thanks goes to Rokuchuchu for editing this for me.**


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